1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a method and apparatus for an automated container filling production line, which at one end has a supply of unoriented containers and at the other end provides a filled, sealed and consumer packaged end product. In the preferred application of the invention the filled, sealed and consumer packaged end product includes a wrapped telescoping straw attached to the outside of the container packaged for final consumer use.
More specifically, the invention relates to an automated container filling production line having continuous and discontinuous operating systems integrated together to form a seamless production line controlled by a computer and related software to automatically take unfilled, unoriented containers, orient those containers, fill, seal, inspect and remove unsatisfactory containers from the novel filling and sealing machine and then automatically transport properly filled and sealed containers to a sleever to automatically label the container, heat-shrink the sleeve to the container and optionally apply a pre-packaged straw to the outside of the container in the novel automated integrated container filling production line.
The novel method and system for the integrated automated container filling production line includes, in the preferred application, an infeed conveyor which includes a novel orientation conveyor to transport randomly oriented containers from a supply hopper and orient and provide a rough sequencing of those containers into a plurality of individual production lines that are introduced into a novel filling and sealing machine having a plurality of production lines. The novel orientation conveyor removes the randomly oriented containers from the supply bin and then orients and roughly sequences the containers into the plurality of production lines by utilizing the pliant orientation plates that imitate the action of the human hand in sequencing and orienting the containers in a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 orientation and then transports the xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 containers to a turning plate and drop-chute which turns the xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 container to a xe2x80x98top lipxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 configuration in a plurality of production lines before transporting the oriented and roughly sequenced containers to the novel filling and sealing machine in the novel production line of the invention.
In an alternative application of the invention the integrated automated container filling production line includes an embodiment of the novel orientation conveyor which orients randomly oriented containers in a xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 orientation and then roughly sequences the containers in a plurality of production lines by utilizing pliant orientation plates and pivotable rods that simulate the action of the human hand to orient and roughly sequence the containers in a plurality of production lines. The xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 containers are transported in the orientation conveyor to a plurality of drop guide plates disposed in each of the plurality of production lines to assist in dropping the containers in a xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 orientation in a plurality of drop chutes. The xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 oriented and roughly sequenced containers are then deposited on an infeed conveyor that introduces the oriented and rough sequenced containers to a positive positioning screw conveyor having a plurality of production lines in a novel filling and sealing machine.
The novel filling and sealing machine of the novel production line of the invention receives a plurality of xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 flat-bottomed containers from a conveyor that provides a rough sequencing of containers and introduces those containers to a positive positioning screw control conveyor system in a plurality of production lines in which positive conveyor control forces are maintained on the bottom and sides of the container in a screw conveyor that provides a discontinuous travel of the container to a plurality of filling and sealing stations in the novel filling machine. In one operational mode of the invention a plurality of screw conveyors receive a first plurality of oriented and roughly sequenced containers which are then positively engaged around the sides and bottom and then conveyed to the filling portion of the machine. At this point both the screw conveyor is stopped and the advancement of the containers is stopped by the positive controlled conveyor means at which time the first plurality of containers are filled with a filler mechanism providing for the positive control and metering of food, beverage or other fluid materials into the containers.
Once the containers are filled the positive controlled discontinuous conveyor apparatus moves those filled first plurality of containers to a sealing station while a second plurality of oriented, roughly sequenced containers are transported to the fill position previously occupied by the first plurality of containers. At this point the screw conveyor again stops and the first plurality of containers are purged of ambient air and sealed while the second plurality of containers are being simultaneously filled. Once the filling of the first plurality of containers and the sealing of the second plurality of containers has been completed the screw conveyor advances the first plurality of containers to an inspection station for fill and seal inspection and defective containers are optionally marked while the second plurality of containers are sealed in the sealing station and a third plurality of roughly oriented containers that had been transported to the fill station are simultaneously being filled while the screw conveyor remains stopped. At this point the first plurality of containers, inspected for fill and seal requirements, could also optionally be removed at the completion of inspection by opening discard doors at the bottom of the novel filling and sealing machine while the second plurality of containers are sealed and the third plurality of containers are filled.
Once the filling of the third plurality of containers, the sealing of the second plurality of containers and the optional inspecting and tagging of defective containers of the first plurality of containers are completed the screw conveyor again turns to transport the first plurality of containers from the screw conveyor to be removed at a defective container removal station in the novel filling and sealing machine or be discharged from the screw conveyor to be removed further down the production line while the second plurality of containers are transported to the inspection station, the third plurality of containers are moved to the seal station, and a fourth plurality of oriented and roughly sequenced containers are moved to the fill station and the screw conveyor again stops. While the screw conveyor remains stopped all the preceding steps are repeated on each new subsequent plurality of containers. In the preferred application of the invention the filling and sealing operations are provided for simultaneously on both sides along the axial length of a single screw conveyor while the screw conveyor is stopped. In the best mode inspection stations, reject stations and other processing stations may be added along the axial length of the screw conveyor.
The novel filling and sealing apparatus is able to achieve its multiple filling and sealing processes on both sides of a single screw conveyor as a result of the positive conveyor control forces maintained at all times to provide precise positioning of the plurality of containers resulting from the positive conveyor control of forces exerted by the threads of the screw conveyor on the walls of the container as well as the positive conveyor control of forces exterted on the flat bottom of the container and the sides of the container through the use of guide rails and rods or bottom support plates in combination with the threads of the screw conveyor to at all times maintain positive conveyor control forces on the containers along the axial length of the screw conveyor.
The positive conveyor control forces in the preferred embodiment are maintained throughout the transport of the container by the screw conveyor in the novel filling and sealing apparatus which allows additional inspection, rejection and processing steps to be implemented while the containers are being filled and sealed in the novel filling and sealing machine. These positive conveyor control forces in the preferred embodiment are maintained at all times during the discontinuous transport of the containers along the discontinuous operation of the novel positive control conveying means of the novel filling and sealing device of the novel production line.
The filled and sealed containers from the novel filling and sealing machine are thereafter transported to an accumulation conveyor and then to a sleever which sleeves the filled beverage containers which are thereafter transported to a heat tunnel for the final shrinking of the sleeves to provide labeled beverage containers. The sleeve labeled containers are then transported to a novel straw applicator which automatically attaches covered straws to the outside of the beverage containers as the labeled beverage container passes by the novel straw applicator apparatus. The straw applicator apparatus receives a continouous band of straws, advances those straws, cuts the straws from the band into individual sealed straws and, through a combination of vacuum and sequencing applies the individually wrapped straws to the outside of the container as it passes by the novel straw applicator device.
The novel production line is controlled by a computer and software which provides for the positive control of all phases of the novel production line including the monitoring and control of the production line to reject improperly filled or sealed containers by coordinating the sequencing of the containers in the novel automated container filling production line. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the novel automated container filling production line and method of the invention integrates and controls continuous and discontinuous conveyor operations in a plurality of production lines in which the infeed conveyor, feed and orientation conveyors and accumulation conveyor are designed to operate continuously while the novel filler and sealer machine of the novel production line operates in a discontinuous xe2x80x98stop and goxe2x80x99 operation. The sleevers, and heat tunnels are also designed to operate in a continuous production process while the novel straw applicator apparatus includes a xe2x80x98stop and goxe2x80x99 operation in cutting and separating straws. These various operations are integrated into a continuous conveying operation which are controlled by a computer and related software in a downstream flow effect which by back pressure sensing and control increases or decreases the speed of the continuous and discontinuous conveyor operations throughout the novel production line.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
The prior art includes numerous types of production lines, methods and apparatus for filling containers and provides these apparatus and methods for discreet operations. The invention, in contrast to the batch and discontinuous prior art processes, provides a full and complete integration of continuous and discontinuous conveyor and filling operations to take unfilled, unoriented containers at one end of the production line and provide filled, sealed and fully completed containers with a packaged straw applied to the outside of the filled sealed containers at the other end of the production line. Further, the individual novel components of the novel production line, including the orientation conveyor component, the novel filling, sealing and screw conveying apparatus, the novel straw applicator, the novel ambient air purging heat-sealing pistons, positive shut-off valves, straw applicator, conveyor belt and other subcomponents of the novel production line have not been shown or illustrated in the prior art.
More particularly, prior art relevant to the orientation conveyor component of the novel production line include Gosney U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,954 and Rheinstrom U.S. Pat. No. 2,183,433 which pertain to bottle orienting conveyor apparatus. In Gosney ""954 unoriented bottles are obtained from a bin and oriented from an open end leading position to an open end trailing position for subsequent filling utilizing cams and mechanical devices for conveying the oriented bottles. Rheinstrom ""433 provides for the division of oriented bottles in an xe2x80x98open end upxe2x80x99 configuration into a plurality of production lines. Neither Gosney ""954 nor Rheinstrom ""433 provide a conveying apparatus which receives unoriented containers or bottles from a supply bin and utilizes pliant plates simulating the action of the human hand to orient and provide a rough sequencing of the containers. Further neither Gosney ""954 nor Rheinstrom ""433 orients containers in a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 configuration and, once oriented and sequenced, subsequently turns the containers to a xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 configuration for introduction into a filling and sealing apparatus.
Other prior art for conveying articles include Kontz U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,778 which pertains to a parison handling apparatus, Mezey U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,979 which pertains to a light bulb conveyor apparatus and Daleffe, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,797 which pertains to a thread bobbin tube alignment conveyor system. Kontz ""778, Mezey ""979 and Daleffe, et al. ""797 do not provide for the utilization of pliant plates simulating the operation of the human hand for orienting and sequencing the articles in the conveyor, nor for the complete turning of the articles prior to their being introduced into a novel filling and sealing apparatus in the novel production line of the invention. Daleffe, et al. ""797 does provide a conveying system which partially turns bobbins for subsequent stacking in an aligned position but Daleffe, et al. does not utilize pliant fingers simulating the action of the human hand in orienting and providing a rough sequencing of articles in a production line utilizing continuous and discontinuous conveying systems.
Prior art relevant to the novel conveying, filling and sealing apparatus includes Heyne, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,036 and Martin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,979 which represent conveying devices utilizing spiral timing devices for advancing containers in a processing machine. In Heyne, et al. ""036 the spiral timing device provides a continuous operation of the spiral timing device in which the spiral timing devices provides for the spacing of the article necessary for the synchronized feed of the article and in Martin, et al. ""979 the spiral timing device provides a dwell for the containers at one or more work stations while the containers remain engaged between the rotating feed screws. Unlike Heyne, et al. ""036 and Martin, et al. ""979 the present invention provides a positioning device rather than a pure timing device. The invention utilizes both sides of a screw conveyor and exercises positive control over the containers on both sides of the screw conveyor to provide multiple work stations along the length of the conveyor. Further the screw conveyor of the invention operates in a start stop fashion and does not provide a dwell or a different sequencing for the containers for only one work station.
The novel filling and sealing machine of the invention provides a positive control conveyor means to capture the sides of containers between threads of the screw conveyor and guide rails (or support plates at the sealing area) both at the sides and bottom to provide a consistent spacing of containers in a discontinuous non-dwelling operation in which the containers are advanced and stopped in a plurality of production lines at precise locations disposed in substantially perpendicular alignment to the screw conveyor. The precise control and stopping of the screw conveyor at simultaneous filling and sealing stations above the screw conveyor for the filling and sealing of a plurality of containers is provided by the novel positioning screw conveyor apparatus of the invention.
Bausch, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,047 utilizes a conveying device that starts and stops the advancement of containers in a production line. Bausch et al. ""047, however unlike the present invention, does not utilize a conveyor device having uniform pitch along the conveyor worm and does not provide multiple work stations or provide constant positive conveyor control forces over the container for both a fill and seal position disposed axially along the length of the worm conveyor. In Bausch, et al. ""047 the worm threads are not of consistent pitch since the worm threads include a rest zone to provide positioning of the articles below a filling place or utilizes a reverse turn of the conveyor to remove forces from the container. The Bausch, et al. ""047 worm threads may also utilize flat spaces or recesses in the worm which reduce the radius of the worm over part of the circumference of the worm to provide a rest zone in the conveying apparatus.
In addition Bausch, et al. ""047 does not provide the constant positive control required for the simultaneous filling of one group of containers on the conveyor line along with the simultaneous purging and sealing of another group of containers along the conveyor line as is accomplished in accordance with the novel screw conveyor filling and sealing device of the invention. This difference is particularly important where the filling and sealing operations require different control tolerances. More particularly, the tolerance for the filling operation is far less critical than for the simultaneous sealing operation which in filling and foil sealing operations requires a tolerance of about one thirty thousandth of an inch.
Other spiral conveying mechanisms such as Carter U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,650 like Heyne, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,036 and Mihail U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,016 provide for the continuous movement of articles along the conveyor as opposed to the discontinuous advancement of articles to a plurality of independent work stations along the length of the screw conveyor. Further the invention, unlike the prior art, maintains positive control over the container during their entire residency at the fill and seal positions in the screw conveyor which makes the multiple work stations possible utilizing the novel filler and sealer apparatus of the novel production line of the invention.
Prior art relevant to the novel straw applicator apparatus of the invention includes Miller U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,171 which illustrates a telescoping straw (FIG. 2), without a poseable neck that is taped to the top of a container. Miller does not illustrate a mechanism for attaching the pre-packed straw to the container. Other prior art which is more relevant to the machinery for the attachment of the pre-packaged straw to a container includes Yokoyama U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,366, Hakansson U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,308, Wild U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,758 and Utsumi U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,915. Such prior art straw applicator apparatus typically rely upon drums (Yokoyama ""366) and mechanical arms as illustrated by Yokoyama ""366 and Hakansson ""308 to attach straws to containers. Wild ""758 employs a mechanical plate to press straws up against the side of the container in a batch process.
The invention unlike the prior art is designed to apply straws on a conveyor assembly line utilizing a combination of elastomeric belts, one of which belt includes openings for holding pre-packaged straws in a predetermined position and a vacuum to hold the straw in the belt prior to its being attached to the container. The straw containing an adhesive is then released around a roller disposed perpendicular to but parallel to the continuous travel of the conveyor on which the container is disposed to provide an on demand straw application apparatus.
Other straw applicator devices such as Hakansson U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,308 provides an intermittently pivotable mechanism to pick up individual straws from a drum and then transfer the individual straws to a conveyor mechanism having a vacuum holding mechanism. The vacuum holding mechanism however transfers the straws to a mechanical pivoting arm on a chain to pressure position the individual straws on continuously moving containers. The present invention unlike Hakansson ""308 applies straws on demand to containers on a conveyor belt utilizing a plurality of conveyor belts which utilizes a vacuum chamber in combination with a specially designed elastomeric belt for holding the straws until the straws are applied to the outside of the container.
Utsumi U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,915 employs a drum together with a cam gripper with an electric heater to heatbond a straw to the outside package as the package is moved on a continuous conveyor. The invention unlike Utsumi ""915 utilizes a combination of an elastomeric belt together with a vacuum to apply the straw to the outside of the container without the necessity of heat sealing the individual wrapped straw to the outside of the container.
Unlike the prior art the novel system and method of the invention provides for the complete automation of a production line controlled by computer software which integrates continuous and discontinuous operations and controls all aspects of the filling, handling, sealing and straw application to a container in combination with an on demand straw application process without requiring exact mechanical timing links and without requiring a batch handling process. The novel method and apparatus of the invention achieves its advantages through the application of a computer control system for increasing and decreasing various phases of the production conveyor systems by increasing or decreasing various continuous and discontinuous processes in the conveyor flow by coordinating individual production rates based upon design production flow rate and backlog at various stages of the production line.
As a result limitations exist in the prior art related to orientation and sequencing conveyors, filling sealing apparatus as well as the apparatus for applying on demand straws to the outside of a container to provide a finished article. Further the prior art failed to provide a fully automated, completely controlled production line facility for taking unoriented containers, orienting and sequencing those containers, filling and sealing those containers, as well as applying sleeves, labels and applying a straw to the outside of the container to provide a finished product in a fully automated and integrated system to reduce the number of handling steps and provide a hygienic food handling production line which reduces the possibility of contamination of the food product through handling as well as providing an easy to clean, continuous production line for producing a filled food container.
There also exists a need in the prior art for a feed and orientation conveyor for hygienically and automatically handling unoriented containers and orienting and providing a rough sequencing of those containers in a way that simulates the action of the human hand without the necessity of human intervention to provide a hygienic handling of the containers and a rough sequencing of those containers in a plurality of individual production lines which can be fed into a machine for filling and sealing a food or other flowable or fluid product.
The limitations of the prior art also make it desirable to provide a single filling and sealing machine which receives a plurality of oriented containers in a plurality of production lines and advances those containers in a precise discontinuous conveying process whereby a plurality of the production line containers are precisely advanced and precisely stopped at predetermined locations in the production line so that one batch of a plurality of containers can be simultaneously filled while a second batch of containers in the same plural production lines can be simultaneously purged and sealed as the precisely controlled conveying mechanism remains stopped for a predetermined period of time. The positive control further allows for the simultaneous inspection and simultaneous rejection of containers in a single production line that allows a number of processing steps to be accomplished simultaneously.
The limitations in the prior art also have created a need for a novel straw applicator which positively engages a pre-packaged straw and applies the pre-packaged straw to passing containers on a production line in an on demand time basis to provide a final product. The novel straw applicator can be controlled by the computer but in the best mode of the invention is a stand alone unit that applies straws on demand to filled, sealed, inspected and sleeved containers. The novel straw applicator includes a novel straw applicator belt for applying straws to filled, sealed and labeled containers as they contact the novel straw applicator belt.
The limitations in the prior art also have established the need for an entire production line controlled by computer control to precisely control the entire production line from the hygienic collection of unoriented containers, the hygienic orientation and sequencing of those containers as well as the hygienic filling and sealing of those containers. The computer control of the production line also provides for the control of the sleever for adding sleeves to the container as well as the heat tunnels for firmly fixing the sleeve to the container in the production line to result in a final product that has been produced with minimum human contact in a hygienic production line for providing a final food product. The computer control of the production line and software for maintaining the operation of the novel production line and novel orientation and infeed conveyors, filler and sealer apparatus and sleever and heat tunnels is achieved by utilizing backflow pressure techniques which manage the entire production line in a real time or near real time mode by increasing or decreasing various phases of the conveyor production line as it is needed to produce a final packaged food product.
The invention provides a novel method and apparatus for a container filler production line which at one end takes unoriented containers and at the other end provides a final filled product that includes computer control of a conveyor line having continuous and discontinuous modes of operation as well as product flow rates. The novel production line and method of the invention include novel apparatus including a novel container unscrambler which hygienically handles unoriented containers, a novel filler sealer machine which hygienically fills and seals those containers, novel heat sealing ambient air purging pistons, novel positive control shut-off valves, accumulation conveyors together with a computer which adjusts rates of flow between continuous and discontinuous production line operations in the novel production line. A novel straw applicator and novel straw applicator conveyor belt is also provided for applying straws in an on demand time frame to the outside of the filled and sealed containers. The entire production line other than the novel straw applicator is controlled by computer and related software to integrate and vary the speeds of continuous and discontinuous conveying portions of the production line to maintain flow from the container unscrambling device to the packing of the filled, sealed, inspected and consumer packed product into shipping cartons. In addition the features and advantages of the novel production line include the hygienic handling of the containers from the time they are received from the container bin to the packaging of the final product by eliminating human intervention in the production process while providing for ease of cleaning of various components in the novel production line.
The container unscrambler is designed to take unoriented containers from a supply bin and orient and roughly sequence those containers utilizing pliant plates which simulate the action of a human hand in orienting those containers. In one embodiment of the invention the rough sequencing of the oriented containers are oriented in a xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 configuration where the containers have a top of a cross-sectional configuration that is larger than the cross-sectional configuration of the bottom half of the container. In the preferred embodiment of the invention containers having a larger bottom half cross-sectional configuration are first oriented in a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 configuration. The xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 oriented containers are then roughly sequenced and advanced to a turning plate for turning the containers from a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 configuration to a xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 configuration before they are deposited through a drop chute on to an infeed conveyor and then to the novel filling sealing machine. In both embodiments of the invention the bottle unscrambler and orientation conveyor provides a plurality of production lines which are designed to hygienically handle, orient unoriented conveyors and provide a rough sequencing of the containers for the novel filler sealer machine. The novel container unscrambler is designed to provide a rough sequencing utilizing a plurality of resiliently mounted plates simulating the action of the palm of the hand and pivotable rods that simulate the action of the fingers in providing a rough sequencing of containers for the novel filler sealer machine.
The novel container unscrambler is, in the preferred application, designed to provide four separate production lines, each capable of operating independently and each having a clutch assembly to allow them to operate at a different rate of speed of the be individually stopped. This independent rate of operation is achieved through sensors, a computer and computer-controlled clutches which individually control the speed of each of the lines based upon downfeed sensors which increase or slow the rate depending upon the flow characteristics of the containers in that production line and the specific needs of the production line without the necessity of shutting down the entire production line.
The conveyor action in the bottle unscrambler is provided by elastomeric conveyor belts connected to pulleys that support either side of a container and preferably a container of a cylindrical configuration having a base larger than the top and advance the container along the conveyor by means of the elastomeric belts. The elastomeric belts advance and provide a rough sequence for the containers and in the preferred embodiment orient in a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 configuration until they are advanced to a turning plate which turns the containers from a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 position to a xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 configuration just before they are deposited through a drop chute for placement on an infeed conveyor to the novel filler and sealer machine. The infeed conveyor in the preferred embodiment is also connected and utilized by the computer similar to the accumulator conveyor to increase and decrease the speed of the orientation conveyor and elevator conveyor to provide additional control over the speed of the novel production line.
The bottle unscrambler and orientation conveyor in both embodiments obtain unoriented containers from a supply hopper by the utilization of an inclined elevator conveyor having container support plates which remove cylindrical containers from a supply hopper. The removed containers are randomly oriented on the support plates which may include an excess of containers on the container support plate. Excess containers on a particular support plate are removed from the inclined elevator conveyor by means of a scraper plate which prevents too many containers from being fed into an infeed hopper connected to the orientation conveyor.
The infeed hopper of the orientation conveyor receives the unoriented containers from the inclined elevator support plates and begins the process of orienting and providing a rough sequencing of the containers in the preferred embodiment in a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 configuration in a plurality of parallel production lines in the orientation conveyor. The containers deposited in the infeed hopper by the combination of gravity and conveyor action of the elastomeric belts of the orientation conveyor allows containers to either fit into the plurality of conveyor lines in a xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 configuration or fall between the plurality of lines when too many containers are bunched up at one time in the elastomeric belts and in the infeed hopper. The conveying motion of the elastomeric belts allows the containers to orient themselves before flowing out of the infeed hopper along the plurality of production lines.
Containers that are properly oriented in the preferred embodiment in a xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 configuration or in the alternative embodiment in a xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 configuration may also be bunched up too close together in any one production line to be properly sequenced for the filling and sealing machine further down the production line. In such case a plurality of pliant plates which simulate the action of human hands push excess containers along the orientation conveyor line until they have the proper rough sequencing and spacing between the containers as they move along the orientation conveyor. Drop chutes are provided at the end of each of the production lines of each of the orientation conveyors. In one embodiment a plurality of drop guide plates assist in guiding containers in a xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 orientation into the drop chutes. In the preferred embodiment xe2x80x98bottom upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98top downxe2x80x99 oriented containers contact turning plates before being 1) deposited into the drop chutes to provide containers in the xe2x80x98top upxe2x80x99 xe2x80x98bottom downxe2x80x99 orientation for the novel filler and sealer machine. The novel feed and orientation conveyors also include individually controllable means that can slow down or stop the conveying action of a particular lane depending upon the flow characteristics of the oriented containers through the novel filling and sealing apparatus and flow characteristics and requirements of the various production lanes down to the completed filled, sealed, labeled and straw containing product.
The novel filling and sealing apparatus includes an infeed conveyor for feeding the oriented and roughly sequenced containers to three pair of screw conveyors for positively engaging and then precisely moving a plurality of containers in the novel filler sealer apparatus. The screw conveyors are preferably made of Delrin(copyright) and have a uniform thread angle from end to end which together with guide rails and container biasing rods and flat plates in the seal position precisely position and move a plurality of containers through the novel filling sealing machine. The uniform thread angle of the screw conveyor provides a precise positioning means for a plurality of work stations disposed in substantial perpendicular alignment with spaces between the threads of the screw conveyors, when the screw conveyors are stopped, at a plurality of work stations disposed along the length of the novel screw conveyors of the filler sealer machine.
The novel filling sealing machine turns the screw conveyors in a discontinuous operation so that a plurality of containers move in a spaced relationship defined by the uniform spiral angle of the threads of the screw conveyor to precise positions and work stations within the novel filler sealer machine. Teflon(copyright) guide rails are provided on the sides opposite the screw conveyor and base support rods or plates at the seal area both reduce friction for plastic containers and aid in the precise positioning and movement of the containers through the machine and during the stopping and starting of the screw conveyor.
The screw conveyor provides a plurality of lanes in which containers along the length of the screw conveyor are in a precise positional relationship to one another and in relation to the spiral distance between each axial section of the screw conveyor. This spaced relationship allows the incremental advancement of the screw conveyor to precisely move a plurality of containers and stop the motion of the plurality of containers in precise positions along the length of the screw conveyor. This also allows a plurality of containers along the length of the screw conveyor to be filled in one portion along the length of the screw conveyor while another group of containers further along the length of the screw conveyor are simultaneously purged and sealed at another area along the length along the screw conveyor. Associated with the filling area are a plurality of sensors that sense the presence of a container in the screw conveyor corresponding to the fill position of each container. In the event a container is not present at a particular fill area, the fill meter piston for that position is not activated to prevent spilling or wasting fill materials.
In one embodiment of the invention the screw conveyor is turned to advance containers to a fill station and advance containers at the filling station to be advanced to a fill inspection station while the sealed containers are moved to a seal inspection station and previously inspected containers are removed from the production line at a reject station that failed either seal inspection or fill inspection. At this point the new set of containers are filled, the previously filled containers are inspected for fill, the previously inspected containers for fill are being sealed, and the containers at the reject station are being removed for improper fill or seal. After the screw conveyor again starts, it advances a second set of new containers to the filling area, the filled containers to the inspection area, the inspected containers to the seal area and the sealed containers to the seal inspection area, and the containers previously inspected for fill and seal are moved to a reject area to be rejected for improper fill or seal. When the screw conveyor again turns, the containers having a proper fill and seal are conveyed from the novel filling and sealing machine while the preceding containers are moved to the new stations in a continuation of the filling sealing production process.
The novel screw conveyors and their incremental advancement and positioning of the containers at various stages along the novel filling and sealing apparatus of the invention allows the novel apparatus to be divided into a plurality of precise work stations disposed in axial and substantially perpendicular alignment to the screw conveyor. The first work station is the filling station which provides for the precise metering of a beverage, food material such as baby food, yogurt or a yogurt beverage or other flowable product into the container at the filling portion of the screw conveyor.
In a further embodiment of the invention multiple inspection and rejection positions can be provided where containers are filled and a few turns of the screw conveyor advances a new set of containers to the fill station and the filled containers to an inspection area where the filled containers are inspected with sensors to determine whether they have been filled to a proper level. While the filled containers are being inspected for proper filling the new set of containers advanced to the filling area are being simultaneously filled.
The novel screw conveyor then turns again and then stops again to advance a new set of containers to the fill area, the filled containers to the inspection area and the inspected containers to a drop area where drop doors open to drop one or more of the containers into a discard bin, if any of the containers have not been filled to the proper level. Thereafter the novel screw conveyor turns again to advance a new set of containers to the fill area, filled containers to the inspection area and precisely move in position only the properly filled containers to a sealing station which purge the properly filled containers of ambient air and replaces the ambient air with nitrogen, moves a shuttle plate to move sealing foil to a position above only the properly filled containers present in the production line and heat-seals the foil to the container while the previously filled and inspected containers are placed over the reject door and rejected if they have not been properly filled, the previously filled containers are being inspected and the new set of containers are being filled.
Thereafter the screw conveyor is turned again to move the sealed containers to a seal inspection station to determine whether the filled and sealed containers have been properly sealed, the previously properly filled containers remaining over the discard doors of the conveyor are then moved to the sealing portion of the conveyor, the containers at the filling inspection position are advanced to the fill drop position, containers in the fill area are moved to the fill inspection area, and a new group of containers are moved into position under the filling are .
The screw conveyor stops and simultaneously the containers in the seal inspection position are inspected for proper seal, containers in the seal position are sealed, containers in the fill drop station that failed inspection are dropped through drop doors, containers in the fill inspection position are inspected for proper fill and containers in the fill position are filled.
Thereafter the screw conveyor turns again and advances the containers over the seal inspection area to a seal reject door position, the containers in the seal position are advanced to the seal inspect position, the containers remaining over the fill drop station are advanced to the seal position, containers in the fill inspect position are moved to the fill drop position, the previously filled containers are moved to the fill inspection position, and a new set of containers are moved to the fill position. The screw conveyor again stops and any container above the seal reject door failing seal inspection is removed through the seal reject door, containers in the seal inspect position are inspected for proper seal, containers in the seal position are sealed, any container that failed fill inspection above the fill drop door is removed, containers in fill inspection position are inspected and containers in the fill position are filled.
The screw conveyor turns again and advances containers remaining over the seal reject door that have a roper seal out into an accumulation conveyor and the previously seal inspected containers are moved into the seal rejection area, the previously sealed containers are moved to the seal inspection area, the containers over the fill reject doors that have not been discarded over the reject area are advanced to the sealing area, and the previously fill inspected containers are moved over the fill reject area and the previously filled containers are moved to the inspection area, and a new group of containers are placed under the filling portion of the screw conveyor. This process continues as the screw conveyor incrementally advances oriented containers through the novel filling and sealing apparatus.
The novel filling and sealing apparatus includes at the filling station a clean in place apparatus for hygienically cleaning the filler portion of the novel filler and sealer apparatus. The filler portion of the novel filler and sealer apparatus includes a food product or fill reservoir connected to a piston cylinder combination that precisely meters the fill product into the containers by advancing a tapered piston to a mating tapered valve seat to provide a positive shut-off valve for depositing the food or fill product into the containers. Thereafter the positive shut-off valve is closed with the mating of the tapered piston to the tapered valve seat and the fill reservoir piston is retracted to its fill position and more product is placed into the product reservoir piston cylinder combination.
A further embodiment of the novel positive shut-off valve is provided for dispensing fluid food products that includes a variety of nozzles for precisely metering and controlling the dispensation of food products while minimizing dripping, splashing and sloshing of the fluid food product. The novel positive control shut-off valve includes a housing having a flowable product inlet intermediate the ends of the positive control valve. At one end of the positive control valve is an air line fitting communicating with a plenum on one side of a diaphragm and at the other side of the diaphragm an inlet for the product dispensing nozzle. Disposed at the other end of the positive control shut-off valve is a nozzle for dispensing food product having a channel communicating with the nozzle inlet and the diaphragm.
The novel positive shut-off valve operates by having a flowable food product pumped in the flowable product inlet which flows into the housing, past the diaphragm and into the nozzle inlet and out the nozzle outlet into the container. Once the metered amount of fluid has been dispensed air pressure is applied to the plenum on the other side of the diaphragm to close off the nozzle inlet and prevent further product from flowing through the nozzle. The novel positive control valve includes a variety of nozzles for metering a variety of flowable food products that accommodate a variety of viscosities.
A novel clean in place apparatus allows the pistons and cylinders to be cleaned by pumping cleaning solutions through the filler manifolds, filler valves and to the filler pumps and positive shut-off valves before the fluid is returned to the CIP-manifold. The closed loop clean in place system is also computer-controlled to provide for the periodic cleaning of the novel filler apparatus. Similarly the sealer portion of the machine is designed to allow the periodic pivoting away of the heat-sealer and purge pistons for cleaning.
The sealing portion of the novel filling and sealing apparatus employs a multifunctional heater head which includes a nitrogen port for purging ambient air from the containers disposed below the heater head before a shuttle plate bearing a foil is placed directly above the container. Once the shuttle place is in place directly under the heater head and over the container the heads are extended downwardly pushing the foil through the shuttle plate and applying it to the container positioned directly below the foil opening in the shuttle plate. Thereafter, for an appropriate amount of time, the heater heads are activated to heat-seal the foil to the container to seal the container. The heater heads are designed to retract and cooperate with the retraction of the shuttle plate in such a manner as to turn a tab on the foil over the top of the container which later is surrounded by a plastic sleeve applied by the sleever and a straw is applied to the side of the sleeve by the novel straw applicator apparatus.
The novel screw conveyor precisely and discontinuously moves the containers in a start stop discontinuous operation that is sufficient in the preferred embodiment of the invention to position the container over the heat-sealing pistons that require a tolerance of about {fraction (1/30,000)} of an inch. This precise tolerance is necessary for heat-sealing foil closures to plastic containers in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. The preferred application of the intention is for filling yogurt beverage containers. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art many types of sealing apparatus can be utilized such as the application of screw caps, crimped caps and other types of closure devices can be applied where the tolerances are not as close as in the utilization of a heat-seal foil in accordance with the preferred embodiment.
After the filled and sealed container exits the novel filler sealer apparatus the container is preferably deposited upon an accumulation conveyor which functions as a controller conveyor. Depending upon the number of filled containers on the accumulation conveyor, the speed of the feed in the orientation and infeed conveyors and the delay period the discontinuous operation of the screw conveyor is stopped can be increased or decreased within limits. The entire production line can be integrated by a computer and time rates of the various production phases modified based on flow and backlog of the containers. Containers are transported from the accumulation conveyor to a sleever which applies a label or sleeve containing a label around the filled container. Once the sleever applies the label to the container, the container is transported to a heat tunnel which shrinks the seal onto the container. The sealed and labeled container is then transported to the novel straw applicator.
The novel straw applicator automatically applies straws on demand to the outside of the container as the container passes on a conveyor past the novel straw applicator. The novel straw applicator is disposed perpendicular to the conveyor production line and secures an individually wrapped straw to the outside of the filled and foil-sealed container. The novel straw application receives a band of individually wrapped straws in a cellophane band and first tensions the band before the band is introduced to the novel straw applicator conveyor belt of the novel straw applicator apparatus. At the introduction of the straws to a set of opposing conveyors, the straws are drawn in the band past a first set of laterally adjacent rollers which are connected to a second set of laterally adjacent rollers by two separate conveyor bands. At the first set of adjacently disposed conveyor rollers an adhesive tape is applied to one side of the band of straws to provide a sticky adhesive backing from a roll of tape which may be disposed in the housing of the tensioning element of the novel straw applicator device.
The straws are advanced in the first set of conveyors to a straw band cutter blade which severs the straws from the band and advances the individually wrapped straws to a novel straw applicator conveyor belt which has a plurality of straw applicator notches on one side and on the other side a series of timing notches together with vacuum ports for holding the individually cut straws in the plurality of straw openings while a vacuum box provides a vacuum for securely holding the individually cut straws with the adhesive as it travels along the straw applicator conveyor. The novel straw applicator conveyor belt is disposed between the second pair of opposing pulleys in the straw applicator conveyor to a straw applicator release pulley and the tensioning idler pulley. The novel straw applicator conveyor belt advances the cut straws to the application pulley at which point the vacuum is released and at the same time a filled and sealed container passes adjacent to the novel straw applicator conveyor belt which results in the adhesion and transfer of the adhesive tape backed straw to the side of the container to provide a final filled and sealed product with a straw applied to the outside surface of the filled and sealed container.
Associated with the straw applicator is a sensor to determine whether a filled and sealed container is properly sequenced with the operation of the straw applicator conveyor belt. The sensor determines when a container is in a proper sequenced position upstream and synchronously and on demand starts the straw applicator conveyor belt to time the release and attachment of the straw to the filled and sealed container. Once the sealed straw is applied to the outside of the container the container is ready for packaging and shipment.
The novel method and apparatus for the automated container filling and sealing production line produces a filled, sealed and packaged container from a group of unoriented containers at one end with the minimum intervention of human handling and processing. The novel software provides for the fully automated process by integrating continuous and discontinuous conveyor processes for assuring containers have been properly filled and sealed in the automated production process. In addition the novel container filling, sealing and handling equipment of the invention provides for easy cleaning and hygienic product handling in accordance with the highest food handling quality standards.
The automated production line integrates continuous and discontinuous processes together with the rejection of containers not meeting specification to assure that only containers meeting product standards are further processed in the novel production Line to conserve materials and increase the quality control of the finished product. These advantages are provided in a computer controlled integrated production line to provide a continuous production process from continuous and discontinuous variable rate production processes utilizing continuous and discontinuous variable rate conveyor production lines that provide the highest standards of quality control at various stages of the filling and sealing operation.